Best of Intentions: Make it happen with Glenwood Garden

I find myself having the best of intentions to write blog posts, but with kids, life, and work blogging always seems to get pushed aside. I also have the best of intentions to support independent producers and try new foods. Sure, my local grocery store carries a few things, but what about all those great handcrafted artisan foods out there that aren’t at my store? While I’d love to have the time to find them on my own, it just isn’t a possibility. That’s where the e-commerce site Glenwood Garden fits in. They do the hard work of sourcing and bring it all together into one place.

Glenwood Garden contacted me to see if I would be interested in learning more about them and trying out a product from one of the artisans featured in their online market. I was intrigued by the possibilities- maple syrup, jam, shrubs – what to choose? They bring a wide variety of artisan products from around the country together into one online marketplace. Not only do they provide a distribution channel for these producers, they also have a shop-for-cause model where a large portion of the profit from each sale is donated to a specified non-profit. At checkout you choose one of the participating non-profit organizations to receive a portion of the profit of your sale. The organizations are focused on sustainability and food security. A triple-whammy! New discoveries, supporting independent producers, and contributing to good causes all at the same time.

I decided to try some jam and in just a few days received a well-packaged trio of jars. After passing the bubble wrap over to my appreciative two and a half year old, I found three unique flavors of jam from the Jam Stand in Brooklyn, NY: You’re My Boy BLUE-berry Bourbon, Drunken Monkey, and Not Just Peachy Sriracha. I wouldn’t have dreamed these flavors up on my own but they sounded incredible. I tweaked a few of my favorite recipes to incorporate the jam. First I put a twist on my grandmother’s apricot chicken wings. Swapping out the apricot jam for the Jam Stand’s Not Just Peachy Sriracha resulted in a sweet and spicy appetizer. For a sweet treat with a kick, I glazed my mini-banana bread with the Drunken Monkey. The combination of sugar coated bananas, splash of rum and a dash of lime makes for a fun twist on a classic recipe. We don't cook pork at our house, but I can imagine that the BLUE-berry Bourbon might be good on a roasted pork tenderloin or as a topping for pork chops.

There are items at many different price points, the process is simple, and the joy of discovering new products is thrilling. It doesn’t hurt that you are also supporting good causes. Thanks to Glenwood Garden for providing me with a free delivery of a trio of fun jams. I would encourage you to do a little browsing of the site and discover something new and exciting to try for yourself. On to the recipes!

Not Just Peach Sriracha Glazed Wings 

True to grandmothers everywhere, this recipe is measured by eyeballing and intuition. And if I’m being totally honest, I forgot to jot down my adaptations to the recipe while I was cooking. The basic instructions are to make a glaze of dry white wine (or chicken broth) and jam and set aside. Season chicken wings generously with salt and pepper and bake, covered, at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove cover, toss with glaze, and bake for another 15 minutes. If you want to crisp up the outside a little more, broil for a few minutes and serve. Sweet, spicy, messy, and delicious! And look at those slices of peaches in the jam.

Drunken Monkey Banana Bread with Drunken Monkey Glaze. 
I finally got to make this over the weekend with the help of my toddler sous chef. You’ll see his influence in the styling for the photos.

I had a little help on this one, using a tried and true recipe from King Arthur Flour: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/banana-bread-recipe.   I added in 3-4 heaping tablespoons of jam to flavor the bread from the inside out. Instead of one big loaf, the batter was divided into four smaller baking dishes.

Mini desserts are always more fun! For the glaze I mixed about 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, a tablespoon-ish of jam, and a few splashes of milk to get the desired consistency.

I was provided with free product by Glenwood Garden. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are honest and belong to me. 

Cooking My Books: The New Jewish Table {Book Review}

As a parent you want to teach your kids about traditions, but you also want to build on them and create your own. That is how I feel about recipes and cooking too. You need a place to start, familiar favorites that area  jumping off place for creation. And that is also how Judaism is for me – tradition, with individual interpretation to make things meaningful to you. 

Our new Jewish table! Rye for me, wheat for the hubby and little man.

I had the opportunity to receive a copy of The New Jewish Table, Modern Seasonal Recipes for Traditional Dishes by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray for review back in the fall before our family expanded from 3 to 4. After trying to dive right into the bowl of matzo ball soup on the cover, I dove into the contents inside. Organized by season and type of meal, the book interweaves stories of family traditions, passed-down recipes and the evolution of them into the recipes in the books pages. The book is not strictly Kosher, but does indicate if a recipe is meat, dairy, or pareve with suggested substitutions. After a preface about the author’s relationships and background the book showcases recipes and the stories of their origins and evolution. By the end you feel as if you are a member of the authors’ extended family. The authors are owners of the Washington DC restaurant Equinox.

Included in the book are new takes on favorite dishes like chicken salad, matzo ball soup, kugel, and more. I love a good chicken salad sandwich. Ingredients need to be in the right balance and the chicken has to be the right texture. The authors include two great chicken salad recipes each with a little different twist. I started with a pulled chicken salad with cranberries and toasted cashews. According to Todd, the dish was a favorite at the White House and one of Equinox's signature items. I can see why! Using a whole poached chicken and then pulling it gives the chicken just the right texture. 

Piled onto two slices of good rye with a side of pickles and a Dr. Brown’s cream soda, this sandwich was deli-worthy!

I also used the recipe for Not Exactly Aunt Lil's Matzo Ball Soup, pictured on the book cover, for Passover this year. My grandmother passed along her matzo ball recipe, but her soup recipe hasn’t been written down yet. My mom tweaks her soup every time she makes it, much like I do. So I loved to read the journey this recipe took from Ellen's Aunt Lil to Equinox. The authors describe the soups evolution from "rustic, homey and satisfying"  to more refined and elevated to the next level for the book.

The addition of finely diced vegetables at the end (about 10 minutes of simmering at the end before adding and simmering noodles and chicken for 10 more minutes) gives me a solution to my lifelong dislike of cooked carrots in soup! The original vegetables are strained out, having given their flavor to the broth. The freshly added vegetables retain a slight crunch and all of their flavor.

This book is a great addition to the my cookbook collection. If you have a traditional with a twist streak, I recommend checking it out. The recipes offer a new interpretation of traditional dishes that make them a welcome addition to the table for holidays or everyday. Next on my to-make list are curried chicken salad with golden raisins and slivered almonds, Todd's deviled egg salad, and the Kassoffs' sweet noodle kugel. 

Starting a tradition, little man asked me to take a picture of his dinner!

Pulled Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Toasted Cashews
This is a signature item on their restaurant menu and the most popular lunch dish. 

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 whole poached chicken
1 cup mayo
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 cup minced red onion
1 cup minced celery
1/2 cup chopped toasted cashews
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Put the cranberries in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside to soak while doing the next step.
Pull or cut the chicken from the bones pull into bite size pieces, shredding with your hands. Place in a large bowl.
Drain the cranberries with a strainer.
With a fork, mix the mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, slat, and pepper in a small bowl. Add the onions, celery, cranberries, cashews and mayonnaise mixture to the bowl with the chicken; mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Mix in the parsley. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Note: I omitted the onions and served the nuts on the side since we had a toddler dining with us. This allowed everyone to customize their sandwich to their liking. 

Book Info: 
The New Jewish Table, Modern Seasonal Recipes for Traditional Dishes
Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray 
Photos by Renee Comet (I met her at Eat Write Retreat!)
2013

I received a review copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine and I was not compensated for this post. 

Breakfast for Dinner? Yes, Please! {Book Review}

I love breakfast food. When presented with the option to order breakfast at a restaurant, I usually take it no matter what time it is. It really isn't fair that breakfast gets hurried over, rushed, and forgotten about so often. In our house we have breakfast for dinner (or lunch) at least once a week. No need to relegate breakfast foods to the morning!

For the past few months I've been making recipes from a new cookbook called Breakfast for Dinner by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth. They write about their culinary adventures on the blog Love and Olive Oil. I received a review copy of their book from Quirk Books and from the moment I opened it I was excited to get cooking. Breakfast can be savory or sweet and I have a preference for the savory side. Because the recipes are geared for dinner, this book includes many savory recipes. I immediately picked a few to try - three the first week I had the book and quite a few since!

The recipes I have tried have been easy to follow and most importantly result in delicious dishes. My test for whether or not I would by a cookbook is how many recipes I would realistically make. With the exception of foods we don't cook at our house (shellfish and pork) we would eat almost all of the other recipes in this book. And the pictures are so nice that I find myself flipping through the book while I sit on the couch (although it does make me really hungry).

The recipes we have made so far include:

Chicken and Biscuit Waffles (made a few times!)

I love biscuits, fried chicken, and waffles. This is a perfect combination of all three. I keep mixing up the sides and toppings for this one. First way: side of spicy apple sauce, and salad with lemon-honey dressing. Second way: drizzled with habanero-infused maple syrup and a side of sauteed apples with cinnamon. With a base of chicken and biscuit waffles, the topping combinations are really endless!

Bonus? This fried chicken method means delicious fried chicken anytime - with or without the waffles! Same for biscuit waffles, when the craving hits I am now ready!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Glazed Banana Bread Bundt Cake

With a few bananas and a bundt pan, you can turn out a decadent dessert treat. This recipe uses my favorite flavor combination of chocolate and bananas. For an extra sweet twist, I made the glaze using chocolate peanut butter (plus, somehow no chocolate chips on hand).

Just like the authors' family recipe, my Aunt Patti's banana bread is always full of chocolate chips. This won't replace hers as a favorite but I can report that this cake did not stick around very long at our house.

Goat Cheese Monte Cristos

The idea of the Monte Cristo has always intrigued me. However I've only encountered them with ham. I was excited to find a recipe for a Monte Cristo that I would eat. Who wouldn't love a sandwich with creamy goat cheese, pepper jelly, and roasted turkey? I decided to make this on a whim and didn't have all the ingredients that the recipe called for but this was still great! We sandwiched fig jam, turkey and goat cheese between slices of whole wheat bread and cooked it up according to the recipe. The result was a flavorful take on the Monte Cristo!

All three recipes were kid-approved by our resident 2 year-old diner. Our little taste tester now gets excited when the waffle maker comes out - even if he calls them "awfuls" half the time. And even though he ate the sandwich in his own unique was as shown below, I know he liked it!

I received a complementary copy of this book for review. I was not obligated to post and received no other compensation. My love of chicken and waffles and banana, chocolate, and peanut butter is real and honest. Ask anyone who knows me! 

Seta's Cafe: Market Favorite turned Restaurant

Back in 2010 I had the deliciously good fortune to discover Seta's Mediterranean Cuisine at the Copley Square Farmers Market. It happened to be her first day at the market and everything I tried was fantastic. Seta was so lovely and I had a great time talking with her (article here). Over the past three years I have enjoyed talking with Seta, tasting her carefully crafted dishes, and watching her business continue to boom. 

Just a few years after starting her prepared food business Seta has realized her next goal - a space of her own open last month! Her cheery light-filled Seta's Cafe is located on bustling Belmont Street in Belmont, MA. 

The Armenian-Mediterranean menu is framed on the wall and the counter opens to the kitchen, busy with activity. Smells of garlic and grilled meats filled the air during my early lunchtime visit and tempting treats filled the display case next to the register. 

On a recommendation from the chef herself, I opted for the grilled lamb plate ($17). Every dish is made to order and after a short wait a sizzling plate arrived with my lunch. Enough for two people, the lamb plate included two generous skewers of tender lamb, bulghur pilaf, grilled tomato, grilled onion, and piaz (parsley, onion, sumac, aleppo pepper). 

The portion was generous enough for two people. The lamb was perfectly cooked and the piaz was a perfectly complement. The combination of savory sumac with a little kick from the aleppo was the perfect complement. Even seemingly basic salad was dressed with a tangy vinaigrette that brought it to another level. The meal is served with housemade lavash to either roll the meat or sop up the vinaigrette from the plate. 

Here is a close up look at the piaz - finely chopped parsley, red onions, and delicious sumac and aleppo pepper combination.

Ordering just one thing was just too hard. For dinner I took home half the lamb plate along with a chopped salad with added falafel along with baba ganoush. 

My first trip to Seta's new place was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to get back in there to try out the rest of the menu - especially brunch. If you find yourself in the area, don't miss out on a visit to Seta's Cafe.

Boston Brunchers: Beautiful Bites at The Blue Room

Last weekend I had the opportunity to join the Boston Brunchers for a delicious late brunch at The Blue Room in Cambridge. The Blue Room is one of my favorite restaurants but I have never made it to brunch there. What I love about The Blue Room is their focus on high-quality, seasonal ingredients. The structure of the menu stays the same, but the specifics are dictated by the available ingredients. Besides the food, the people make you want to keep coming back. Everyone on the team is warm and welcoming.

We arrived on a cold, rainy Sunday for a 1:00 pm brunch. Each of the brunchers in the group was treated to a Ramos Gin Fizz while we waited for our table to be set. The charming bartenders set up a delicious looking assembly line (see their photo here) and frothed, zested, and presented us with these festive drinks.

Cold, rainy day outside - Cozy brunch inside.

The Blue Room's Sunday brunch is a buffet ($27 for adults, includes coffee or tea). Brunchers were provided a free trip to the buffet along with a cocktail. We made sure to tip generously at the end. The buffet is setup along the open kitchen and the dishes are constantly replaced, ensuring a full selection of hot items. The plates were large - ensuring room for a sampling of all of the items.

Round 1 for me was going to be all breakfast food, but there were more 'lunch' items than breakfast. Going clockwise, starting at the top: Iggy's roll with pear-stout confiture, marinated beets, braised winter greens, patatas bravas, applewood smoked bacon, scrambled eggs with creme fraiche, smoked salmon, and cheddar grits with brisket in the middle. The potatoes and the brisket were probably my two favorites - see the homage to brisket below.

Even though the brisket had a dark crust, it was perfectly tender and extremely flavorful. I need to find out what they put in the rub before barbecue season rolls around! Round two was a few more savory dishes (and maybe another piece of brisket....)

Thankfully I was seated with my back to the pastries table. That way I could enjoy the savory items without jumping straight to the sweets! Chef Robert Grant made a special blackberry pain perdu for the group and sent out warm, custardy, slices for each of us to enjoy. Look at those layers! It was so smooth it just melted in your mouth.

My restaurant sharing pal Renee and I got an assortment of other goodies from Pastry Chef Mia Velasquez's fresh baked selection. We tried warm from the oven cinnamon rolls, vanilla bean pound cake, scone, flourless chocolate cake, and a macaroon. If I was forced to pick a favorite, it would probably be the macaroon. Sticky and just the right amount of sweet to end the meal.

I have never left The Blue Room unsatisfied. After experiencing casual dinners to private events to lunch on the patio, and now brunch I can continue to say that The Blue Room is on the top of my favorite restaurant list.

Thanks to The Blue Room team for a fabulous brunch! Hope to see you again very soon!

I was selected to join the Boston Brunchers for this brunch at The 
Blue Room. Our meals (brunch, coffee, and brunch cocktail) were provided at no charge. We had a fabulous server and made sure to tip generously. 

Boston Brunchers: The Cottage in Chestnut Hill

It was my second time going to a Boston Brunchers Brunch, so the deal I made with the wife was that to go, I had to write the post. As you can see, not only am I good at eating my wife's cooking, I am also good at procrastinating. Sometime last month, I joined my wife, Renee over at Eat.Live.Blog and about 17 others at The Cottage in Chestnut Hill for brunch. I was very interested in going because we previously had brunch at The Cottage's other locations. The one in La Jolla, CA and the one in Wellesley. I was anxious to go to the one in Chestnut Hill because we heard they had changed their menu to be more like their California offerings. We had such a fabulous meal in La Jolla, that we were disappointed that on our trip to Wellesley we couldn't find the same menu items. [editor's note: we went to the Wellesley location right when they opened and they did not have a full brunch menu]

The restaurant was well furnished and the abundance of beadboard made me feel like I was in a very well decorated and maintained cottage. So that made sense to me! Off the top, let me just say that everything was fantastic. I was immediately comfortable in my seat, the wait staff was very attentive, and the atmosphere was perfect for a Sunday brunch. The owner and chef came out and explained the menu and the talk around the table was that the mashed potato omelet was one of a kind. The promise of mashed potatoes made my ordering easy and when I told the waitress what I would like, her reaction was truly unique. I've never had a waitress show such genuine excitement over something I ordered. I knew I had made the right choice.

 I forget what the wife ordered, but I think it was an omelet with a whole bunch of guacamole. It looked really good too. [editor's note: I ordered the Southern California Special omelet]

The wife's Southern California Special omelet

When the food arrived I was pleasantly surprised to find that on the side of my mashed potato omelet was a fruit cup. I thought this was great. I already had plenty of potatoes in the omelet so why would I want the typical hash brown side?

That they adjusted their offerings showed that they were putting a lot of thought into what they were sending out. Needless to say, the omelet was fantastic. I had to slow myself down so I didn't inhale it in seconds. What helped divert my attention was the complimentary scone that also came with my dish. It was fluffy, flavorful, and had little sugar crystals on top.

There was nothing to complain about, it really was a nice meal. To top it all off, a fellow bruncher ordered some French toast stuffed with strawberries and marscapone for the table and I was able to try a slice. I consider myself a bit of a French toast connoisseur, and I can say that this was right up there with the best I've had.

All in all, it was a great brunching experience. It made me feel, if only for an hour or two, that I was back near the Pacific Ocean, feeling the sea breeze come off the water as the sun warmed my skin. Not a bad feeling when in reality I was only looking out at Rt. 9 in Newton. The next time we are going out to brunch, we'll be sure to think of The Cottage so that we can, if only briefly, escape to some sun and fine California flavors.

Truffle tater tots to start

[Editor's note: The Cottage provided us with complementary brunch, coffee, and juice. We paid for tip. Also, The Cottage opens at 9am for brunch - perfect for those of us who get hungry a lot earlier than 11 am!]

Wine From California, By Way of Social Networking

I love networking – in person or online. I love to meet new people, share stories, and often find out what a small world it is! Online networking and social media let you really see the connections like friends of friends, shared interests, and new opportunities. Over the past year, I’ve connected with many of my twitter and blog friends on LinkedIn. I noticed a few months ago that many of them started joining food related networking groups and thought that it would be a good idea to join too.

Not long after joining the Food Blogger Connection group on LinkedIn I saw a post from Jonathan Boring, Social Media Marketing Manager from the California Wine Club. He was looking for everyday wine drinkers who would be interested in trying out some of their wine selections. The criteria for reviewers were pretty simple; bloggers without expert wine knowledge. That’s me! While I’ve been honing my tasting skills, I do not consider myself an expert in any way. I generally know what I like and have a preference for roses, cabernet francs (or blends with it), and whites on the drier or grassier/citrusy side (very technical description). And after my trip to Spain last year, I’ve been seeking out new and interesting Spanish wines to try.

Back to the California Wine Club - a family business that has been shipping wines since 1990. A quick look at the website will give you a great overview and history of the business. Bruce and Pam Boring select wines to send out as part of their monthly wine club. They have a variety of different memberships – from all California producers to small international wines to aged cabernet. They work with smaller wineries that produce limited quantities. For us here in the Northeast, that might mean wines that aren’t available regularly in our neck of the woods.

I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to participate, due to the restrictions on wine shipping to MA. However the California Wine Club ships by certified freight carrier, so the wine was promptly delivered right to my door. For my first review, I received two bottles from the Robledo Family Winery in the Sonoma/Carneros area of Sonoma. The well packed bottles came with a 12-page booklet describing the wines, the winery and winemakers, recipes, and information about more wine club offerings. This shipment included a 2005 “Los Braceros” Red blend and a 2007 “The Seven Brothers” Lake County Sauvignon Blanc.

This post will cover the red wine, Los Braceros Red Blend. The wine is a blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. The tasting notes in the booklet were extensive noting awards, the color, flavors, aromas, weather conditions, aging process, recipes and more. The suggested retail for this wine is $30 and the restaurant price is listed as $45-$50. The wine was bottled in July 2007 and released in September 2008. Only 3000 cases of the wine were produced. I decided to taste the wine alone, and then incorporate into a recipe and enjoy it with the meal.

Using skills I’ve picked up at various wine tasting events, I started first by pouring a glass and observing the color. A nice, deep red (almost a self portrait up there!). Next, I swirled and sniffed. Then a small sip to let it spread over my tongue. Spicy, peppery, and tangy with a little bite. Using a very scientific explanation – it made my tongue tingle and want to take another sip. Not my favorite in terms of red as a sipping wine, but I could see how you would like this wine if you liked a spicy and peppery red. For me, I thought I would like it better with food (and I did). I could imagine it paired with a nice juicy steak right off the grill.

The recipe included in the booklet was a recipe from Maria Robledo for Chiles Rellenos. She picked a bold and spicy dish to pair with the family’s red wine blend. I decided to make a bold red wine tomato sauce and meatballs to pair with the wine. I started by pulling all of the vegetables out of the refrigerator and chopping them into equal sizes for sautéing. In incorporated the wine while sautéing sliced mushrooms. I let the wine come to a bubble and reduce with the mushrooms. The mushroom sauce would have been delicious on its own topping grilled chicken or steak (note for next time!). It had a beautiful color, aroma, and flavor.

I paired the sauce with homemade meatballs over spaghetti and served with toasted bread. The wine gave the sauce a great kick and depth of flavor and paired well as a drink.

I’m excited to open up the Sauvignon Blanc next and share my review. I think it will be a perfect companion to some of my favorite spring dishes.

Don’t forget to check out the California Club website. They have a few different membership options and a lot of fun information about the wineries that they work with. What’s nice about their membership is that you don’t have to commit to a full year – there are no joining fees and you can cancel at anytime. You can also pick all red or all white and pick shipments for monthly, every other month, or quarterly delivery. If you do decide to check them out, make sure to mention that I sent you. You can also keep up with them on their Facebook page.

Los Braceros Hearty Tomato Sauce

1 cup each chopped:
celery
carrots
onions
fresh spinach
mushrooms

Olive oil
3/4 cup Los Braceros red wine blend
2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 can tomato paste
Salt and pepper

Set up a slow cooker or large pot with lid
Pour diced tomatoes and tomato paste into the pot
Assemble chopped celery, carrots and onions together
In a large sauté pan, cook celery, carrots, and onions over medium heat in a little olive oil until softened
Remove from the pan and add to the slow cooker or pot and return skillet to the stove
Add mushrooms to the pan and cook until they start to brown
Add wine, bring to a bubble and then let cook for 3-4 minutes until wine starts to reduce
Pour mushrooms and wine into the slow cooker or pot and return skillet to the stove
Add the spinach to the skillet and wilt
Add wilted spinach to the slow cooker or pot and mix together well
Set the slow cooker to the high 4-hour setting, put the lid on and let cook
I prefer a smoother sauce, so after 4 hours I used my immersion blender to blend the vegetables together


Quick and Easy Meatballs
I made these on a Sunday and had plenty of leftovers for lunches and dinners throughout the week. I served them with pasta, as subs, and just on their own.

Makes 24 tablespoon sized meatballs

2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely diced onions
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray
In a large bowl, beat the two eggs together
Add ground beef, parsley, and onions and use your hands to combine
Add breadcrumbs, starting with 1/2 cup
Mix together, adding breadcrumbs until the meat is still moist, but holds together well
Using a tablespoon, gently form meatballs and place them on the baking sheet
Bake for 10 minutes, and then flip them over
Bake for 10-15 more minutes until fully cooked through
Serve with sauce and pasta or on a toasted roll with cheese!


Disclosure: I was sent two bottles of wine at no charge from the California Wine Club to review. I was not compensated financially. The opinions are completely mine!